she regarded me from behind her mug with wide eyes.
"What?" I asked.
She nudged her head in the direction of the living room, indicating Cub, and continued staring at me with that wide-eyed expression.
"He's so cute," she said.
"So?" I whispered. I sat my mug on the bedside table and got to my feet. I crossed the room to close the door so I could change. Tess followed me the whole time, so I reached down and put my hand on her head. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."
"Stop trying to change the subject," Mia said.
"I'm not," I whispered. "He's cute. So what?"
"So, summer camp."
"You're hilarious," I said. "I can't even look at him right since you started putting all that junk in my head. I can't go there with him. Not with his sister marrying my brother. It'd just be awkward. Plus, if I let it go anywhere, I would just miss him when we have to leave. Nothing good could come of it."
"Can you imagine what he'd look like with new clothes?" Mia asked. She grabbed her shirt and pumped her fist against her chest a few times indicating her heart was pounding. "Total knockout."
I had already thought the same thing about his clothes, but I didn't like Mia is saying it. I felt protective of him. "Those are probably just his work clothes," I said. "It's not like he needs to get all dressed up to go to work."
"Somebody's taking up for him," Mia said, raising her eyebrows at me.
"It's not that. I'm just saying, maybe he doesn't need the latest clothes living in the middle of Kenya. I'll bet they'd look at him funny if he showed up with a tool belt and some skinny jeans."
She put a hand over her mouth and laughed quietly, imaging the sight. "All I'm saying is that it's hard not to notice how super gorg-a-licious he is. I'm almost thinking if you're not interested…" Mia trailed of, but she had already implied that the rest of the sentence would be, "… than I am ."
"No," I said. "Nobody's hooking up with Cub. You only have eyes for Nico, anyway."
This statement called Mia to shoot me a playful warning glare.
I ignored it as I looked at Tess. "And you better not tell Cub we said any of this."
"If she tells Cub what you're saying about him, then she'll have to tell you what he said about you ."
"She won't tell a thing," I said. Then I did a double take at Mia. "Wait. He talked about me?"
She nodded.
" To you ?"
She nodded again. "And Evan."
"What'd he say?" Mia smiled and shrugged. "I'm not telling you."
I rolled my eyes at her as I slipped out of one shirt and into another one. "You're not telling me because he didn't say anything."
"Maybe he did. You don't care anyway."
"I don't care because you're lying."
Mia slapped a hand to her chest like she was offended. "I would do no such thing."
"What'd he say, then?"
"He said you smell like peaches and he hopes his room still smells like you when you're gone."
"He did not!" I said, pushing at her playfully.
"He did!" she whispered, smiling.
"He would never say something like that."
"He did. Evan was telling him about being on those ships for long periods of time. They were talking about smells, and somehow Cub just mentioned that his room smelled like peaches when he went in there to talk to you last night. He also mentioned that Tess wanted to sleep with you."
"I think he's wonderful," I said, "but he's not leaving Kenya, and I'm not staying here. A fling is all that could come of it, and I'm not doing that with him. End of story."
"Fine," Mia said, holding her hands up in surrender. "But it's a crying shame."
***
We piled into Cub's truck fifteen minutes later. Tess tried to hop into the cab, but Cub whistled to get her to jump into the back.
"Is she coming with us?" I asked, climbing into the front seat.
"Yep," Cub answered.
I was the one who took the seat closest to Cub this time. Mia and I both assumed it would be that way. She stood back and let me get in first.
"Does she always go with you?" Evan asked.
"Most of the time," he said. "It depends on
"What?" I asked.
She nudged her head in the direction of the living room, indicating Cub, and continued staring at me with that wide-eyed expression.
"He's so cute," she said.
"So?" I whispered. I sat my mug on the bedside table and got to my feet. I crossed the room to close the door so I could change. Tess followed me the whole time, so I reached down and put my hand on her head. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."
"Stop trying to change the subject," Mia said.
"I'm not," I whispered. "He's cute. So what?"
"So, summer camp."
"You're hilarious," I said. "I can't even look at him right since you started putting all that junk in my head. I can't go there with him. Not with his sister marrying my brother. It'd just be awkward. Plus, if I let it go anywhere, I would just miss him when we have to leave. Nothing good could come of it."
"Can you imagine what he'd look like with new clothes?" Mia asked. She grabbed her shirt and pumped her fist against her chest a few times indicating her heart was pounding. "Total knockout."
I had already thought the same thing about his clothes, but I didn't like Mia is saying it. I felt protective of him. "Those are probably just his work clothes," I said. "It's not like he needs to get all dressed up to go to work."
"Somebody's taking up for him," Mia said, raising her eyebrows at me.
"It's not that. I'm just saying, maybe he doesn't need the latest clothes living in the middle of Kenya. I'll bet they'd look at him funny if he showed up with a tool belt and some skinny jeans."
She put a hand over her mouth and laughed quietly, imaging the sight. "All I'm saying is that it's hard not to notice how super gorg-a-licious he is. I'm almost thinking if you're not interested…" Mia trailed of, but she had already implied that the rest of the sentence would be, "… than I am ."
"No," I said. "Nobody's hooking up with Cub. You only have eyes for Nico, anyway."
This statement called Mia to shoot me a playful warning glare.
I ignored it as I looked at Tess. "And you better not tell Cub we said any of this."
"If she tells Cub what you're saying about him, then she'll have to tell you what he said about you ."
"She won't tell a thing," I said. Then I did a double take at Mia. "Wait. He talked about me?"
She nodded.
" To you ?"
She nodded again. "And Evan."
"What'd he say?" Mia smiled and shrugged. "I'm not telling you."
I rolled my eyes at her as I slipped out of one shirt and into another one. "You're not telling me because he didn't say anything."
"Maybe he did. You don't care anyway."
"I don't care because you're lying."
Mia slapped a hand to her chest like she was offended. "I would do no such thing."
"What'd he say, then?"
"He said you smell like peaches and he hopes his room still smells like you when you're gone."
"He did not!" I said, pushing at her playfully.
"He did!" she whispered, smiling.
"He would never say something like that."
"He did. Evan was telling him about being on those ships for long periods of time. They were talking about smells, and somehow Cub just mentioned that his room smelled like peaches when he went in there to talk to you last night. He also mentioned that Tess wanted to sleep with you."
"I think he's wonderful," I said, "but he's not leaving Kenya, and I'm not staying here. A fling is all that could come of it, and I'm not doing that with him. End of story."
"Fine," Mia said, holding her hands up in surrender. "But it's a crying shame."
***
We piled into Cub's truck fifteen minutes later. Tess tried to hop into the cab, but Cub whistled to get her to jump into the back.
"Is she coming with us?" I asked, climbing into the front seat.
"Yep," Cub answered.
I was the one who took the seat closest to Cub this time. Mia and I both assumed it would be that way. She stood back and let me get in first.
"Does she always go with you?" Evan asked.
"Most of the time," he said. "It depends on
Similar Books
